UAE’s proactive approach is well-suited for disruptive technological innovation, top strategist says

UAE’s proactive approach is well-suited for disruptive technological innovation, top strategist says

Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s ability to be proactive and its eye for the future are creating immense opportunities for the nation at a time when the world is experiencing disruptive growths in technology, Salim Ismail, a top innovator and author, said here. Without this forward-thinking outlook, existing institutions and systems are faced with tremendous stress, warned the entrepreneur, investor, author and technology strategist. He was speaking at the fourth Ramadan lecture hosted at the Majlis Mohamed Bin Zayed, which was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and other dignitaries. Having headed innovation at Yahoo, Ismail is now a board member at XPrize Foundation, a non-profit organisation that hosts public competitions to accelerate technological development. He is also the author of Exponential Organisations, a bestseller that talks about how technological growth has changed the fundamental problem from scarcity to abundance. Ismail highlighted the example of photography, saying that the challenge during the era of film photography was to take the best picture on a limited film. Products and services were therefore created to enable this, including classes to teach photography and composition. “With the